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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26552050">A Lesson in Diplomacy</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/yopumpkinhead/pseuds/fallintosanity'>fallintosanity (yopumpkinhead)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Calamity's Waltz [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy XV</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Crossover, Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-20 09:22:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,768</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26552050</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/yopumpkinhead/pseuds/fallintosanity</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Technically, the ShinRa Electric Power Company is not a monarchy. Technically, its vice president is not a crown prince. Noctis shouldn't be getting involved with Midgar politics, but he's not about to stand by and watch as Rufus ShinRa gets everything wrong.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Calamity's Waltz [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1930918</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>205</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Lesson in Diplomacy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Takes place a few days after chapter 20 of <em>Providence</em>.</p>
<p>The original FFVII never gives an age for Rufus ShinRa, while the compilation novel <em>On The Way to a Smile</em> puts his age at around twenty-four or twenty-five. (The Remake ages him up to 30, but as TFA and this series are based on original-game canon, we're ignoring that.) <em>Providence</em> starts about five years before the OG, meaning Rufus is nineteen or twenty at this point in time.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Sergeant,” Tseng said, planting himself politely but firmly in Noctis’s path. “The Vice President would like a word with you.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><span>Noctis bit back the reflexive </span><em>I’m not a sergeant</em>. Two and a half months as a ShinRa SOLDIER wasn’t long enough to outweigh a lifetime of <em>Your Highness</em>. “About what?” he asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“He didn’t say,” Tseng said. He pivoted smoothly on one heel and began walking toward the elevator to the executive floors, so Noctis followed. It was easy to fall into the trap of thinking that Tseng was to Rufus what Ignis was to Noctis, especially when he did things like this, but Noctis had learned enough about the Turks to know how dangerous an illusion that was. Then again, Ignis was a lot more dangerous than most people gave him credit for, even newly blinded as he’d been when Noctis had last seen him. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><span>When Noctis had abandoned him, all of them</span><em>, </em>and he shoved that thought back down with the rest of the guilt he’d carried ever since he’d broken free of the Crystal only to end up in this crazy world. The longer he stayed here, the more he worried about his friends - his brothers. Getting home was his highest priority, and Rufus ShinRa’s terrible attempts at political machinations were a distraction Noct didn’t need right now. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>With the freedom that came from being a SOLDIER Second, he’d resumed his search for any possible way to go home, but had come up frustratingly empty. This world had nothing like Lucis’s Crystal, its “gods” were a party trick, and its magic was bizarre and unhelpful. The lack of leads was the main reason he’d initially accepted Rufus’s overtures: his last hope was to get access to ShinRa’s advanced research department and see if they could help him, and the Vice President of ShinRa was one of the few people who could get him that access. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“Second Class is treating you well?” Tseng asked as they waited for the elevator.</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Noctis made the polite noise of agreement he’d perfected for members of his father’s council. He didn’t trust Tseng in the slightest, and tried to keep his interactions with the man to the bare minimum, though that had gotten difficult ever since Rufus had taken an interest in Noct. Thankfully, Tseng didn’t make any further attempts at conversation as the elevator rose to the executive floor and he led Noctis to a pair of elegant double doors leading into a corner suite. He didn’t knock, just pushed the doors open and motioned for Noctis to enter.</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Noctis hadn’t been to Rufus’s office before, and he paused in the doorway for a moment to take it in. The suite was huge, with a massive, ostentatious desk made of chrome and wood which occupied most of the lower level. Floor-to-ceiling windows lined the two outer walls, the lighting dim and soft to allow a sweeping view of Midgar. To the left, an open spiral staircase curved up to a balcony that wrapped around three of the walls, bisecting one of the massive windows. From where Noctis stood under the balcony, he couldn’t see anything on it, but if it was like the executive suites in the Citadel, there would be a more informal sitting area up there. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Tseng made a slight motion of his hand, reminding Noctis to keep moving. The back of Noct’s neck prickled as he stepped into the room, instinct warning him against having Tseng behind him, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it. Still, he tried to keep the man in his peripheral vision as Tseng followed him inside and began to pull the door shut.</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“That is all, Tseng.” Rufus’s voice floated to them from somewhere on the upper level of the suite. Noctis glanced over his shoulder in time to see the slight furrow in Tseng’s brow, though the man was too professional to show any other reaction. If Noct hadn’t had years of practice reading Ignis, he probably wouldn’t have noticed it at all. It was dangerous to try to interpret Tseng based on Ignis, but Noctis had the unpleasant suspicion that Tseng didn’t like Rufus’s interest in Noct. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Still, Tseng wouldn’t - or couldn’t - go against Rufus’s orders. He inclined his head in the direction of Rufus’s voice, and slipped out of the office, closing the door silently behind him. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><span>Yawning, Noctis headed up the spiral staircase to the upper level. He’d just gotten back from a two-day mission in the plains to the east when Tseng found him, and all he wanted was to sleep for a couple days straight. So of </span><em>course</em> Rufus would choose now to talk to him. Of <em>course</em> he couldn’t just go curl up and sleep—  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Noct sighed to himself and stifled another yawn. It wasn’t Rufus’s fault that Bahamut still had his talons in Noct and kept trying to drag him back into Reflection, despite there being no Crystal around, nor any Starscourge to defeat. By the time Noct emerged onto the second level, he’d managed to compose his face back to expressionlessness. He’d been right that the balcony housed a comfortable sitting area, though Rufus himself stood beside the floor-to-ceiling window. Noctis joined him, clasping his wrist behind his back like he was standing in his father’s court, and looked out over Midgar, waiting for Rufus to make the first move. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>He didn’t have to wait long. Rufus turned to him, drawing himself up to his full height and looking down his nose in a way that would probably be intimidating to people who didn’t regularly hang out with Gladiolus Amicitia. “Lazard is planning to send all of SOLDIER on a vacation to the Gold Saucer.” </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Noctis made a noncommittal noise. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Rufus’s scowl deepened. “You told him about our discussions.” </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><span>He meant the two conversations they’d had in cafes well away from ShinRa Tower, where Rufus had explained that his father was ill, and that Rufus would soon be taking over the company. </span><em>I need the backing of SOLDIER</em>, he’d said. <em>Lazard intends to stage a coup, but the people of Midgar will riot if a fatherless bastard from the slums tries to run the city. I’d like to avoid such a… messy situation. </em>He’d given Noctis the elegant mythril sword then, letting him admire it for a moment before adding, <em>I trust I have your support.</em></span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><span>Noctis had almost laughed. The scene was right out of the cheesy anti-bribery training videos everyone who worked for the Crown - even its prince - had to watch on a yearly basis. He’d never thought he’d see anyone try it in real life; the Lucian nobility at least attempted</span> </span>
  <span>to be subtle. Ignis and Gladio would both yell at him for getting involved in the internal politics of a foreign government, but as much as Noctis needed Rufus’s help to find a way home, he hadn’t been able to bring himself to do nothing in the face of such an obvious scheme. If nothing else, maybe he could teach Rufus some discretion. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Rufus was still glaring at him, so Noctis shook his head. “I haven’t spoken to Lazard in…” He had to pause to remember. “More than two weeks. Not since he promoted me.” Which was true enough, and he was certain a review of the tower’s security cameras would back him up. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><span>“No?” Rufus said. “Why else would he decide </span><em>now </em>is the ideal time for such an extravagant, and frankly desperate, gesture?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Noctis resisted the urge to sigh. He’d only been at the company for two and a half months, but it had been clear by the end of his second week that ShinRa valued brute force over all else. He’d hoped Lazard might be the exception, given his situation, but apparently Lazard had inherited his family’s penchant for dramatics. “Lazard’s smart,” he said to Rufus. “He may have seen the sword you gave me. Put two and two together. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has people watching you, too - someone who saw us talking.”  </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“Hmph.” Rufus turned back to the window, transferring his glare to the nighttime cityscape spread out below them. It wasn’t as impressive as Insomnia at night, but Noctis could still admit it had its own grimy, retro beauty. “If Lazard manages to lure even half of SOLDIER away from ShinRa, it’ll be disastrous.”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><span>Noctis fought back the urge to say </span><em>Then maybe you should learn to be way less obvious when you make your move</em>, and thought about what Ignis would say, instead. “What can you do to stop it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Rufus shot him a sharp glance. Noctis kept his back straight, his gaze fixed out the window, pretending he was his father speaking with a member of the Council. Then Rufus ruined it by saying thoughtfully, “Perhaps it’s time I had Lazard eliminated.”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“Wh—No!” Noctis yelped. Years of court training were all that kept him from completely breaking poise, but he still turned to stare at Rufus. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><span>“Lazard has been a thorn in my side for </span><em>years</em>,” Rufus said, ignoring Noct’s outburst as his rant gained steam. “He’s a nobody - a slums rat with aspirations of glory far above his station. He’s spent years ingratiating himself in the company, and now he thinks he has any right to everything my father built—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><span>“He’s </span><em>his </em>father, too,” Noctis burst out. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Rufus whirled on him, teeth bared. “How do you know about that?”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Noctis stared at him for what felt like a solid ten seconds before remembering that the ShinRa Electric Power Company wasn’t actually a two-thousand-year-old monarchy where being able to recognize familial ties at a glance was a required political skill. Before he could come up with a plausible lie, Rufus shook his head. “It doesn’t matter, I suppose. If it’s that obvious, it’s just another reason to remove him from the equation.”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><span>“Lazard is your </span><em>brother</em>,” Noctis protested. “Why the hell would you even <em>think</em> about killing him?!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“He’s no brother of mine!” Rufus spat. “He’s just trash from the slums.”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“He’s smart and determined enough to work his way up from the slums to director of SOLDIER,” Noctis shot back, “and you still think he’s nothing? If your father—” He realized the rest of it, what Rufus was really upset about, in a sudden rush, and snapped his mouth closed.</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><span>But Rufus finished his thought anyway: “If my father what? Acknowledged him as a son? If he did that, what use would there be for me?” He shook his head again, turning away from Noctis to look out the window again, though his fists were clenched at his sides. “</span><em>I </em>am the only heir to ShinRa. I won’t let some whore’s bastard take away my birthright.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Noctis bit his tongue hard enough that he tasted blood, his own fists clenched tight, his nails digging into his palms. When he thought he could speak without killing Rufus, he said quietly, “Why does it matter where he was born? I’m not related to any of my brothers even half by blood, but if someone ever tried to tell me the guys are worth less than I am, I’d tear their head off.” </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“None of your brothers are a threat to your inheritance,” Rufus muttered. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Noctis sighed. He wasn’t wrong about that, though as a child, Noctis had often wished for an older sibling specifically so that he wouldn’t be the one to inherit the throne. Now that he knew the truth, he wouldn’t wish his own destiny on anyone - but that was hardly the same as being afraid that someone would steal away something of value. “If all you see him as is a threat,” Noctis said, “then that’s all he’ll ever be to you.”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><span>“What else </span><em>could</em> he be?” Rufus said. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“An ally,” Noctis answered immediately. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“You’re naive.”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“And you’re an idiot.” </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“How dare you speak to me like that?” Rufus hissed. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“Easily,” Noct shot back. “Because you’re being an idiot.” </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Rufus swung around to stare at him incredulously, and Noctis couldn’t help but wonder how long it had been since anyone had spoken so bluntly to the vice president of ShinRa. But Noct was tired, and just wanted to sleep and get home and find his friends and save his kingdom. He didn’t have the energy to coddle this pampered businessman’s son who thought he knew the first thing about running a country. It had been just a few months since Noct had come to Midgar, but in that time he’d seen just how poorly run and precariously balanced the city was. Noctis might not be a king here, but he could at least teach Rufus how to be a crown prince. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“I should fire you,” Rufus said. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>He was looming again, but that only made Noct more angry. He knew he wasn’t ever going to be tall - he’d gotten both his looks and his build from his mother - and he hated when people tried to use it against him. So he slouched down instead and shrugged, the deliberately bored gesture that had made Ignis furious when he was a teenager. “Go ahead.” </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“You wouldn’t be a SOLDIER anymore,” Rufus said.</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Noct shrugged again, letting himself slouch even further as though the conversation was too uninteresting to bother standing upright. “Didn’t want to be one in the first place.” </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Rufus glared at him. “Maybe I should throw you in prison, instead.” </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“For what? Not wanting to be a SOLDIER?” </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“For insubordination.”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“You’re not my commanding officer.”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“I’m the vice president of ShinRa!” Rufus snapped.</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><span>“Then </span><em>act</em> like it!” Noctis said. He stood up straight abruptly, calling on every one of his court lessons to wrap the poise of a king around himself. To put his father into his voice, into his eyes as he looked down his nose at Rufus. “Right now you’re acting like nothing but a spoiled brat throwing a temper tantrum because the world isn’t catering to your whims.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><span>Rufus had rocked back, but now he rallied, drawing breath to interject. Noctis didn’t give him the chance. “You </span><em>think</em> you’re the vice president, but you’re just a coward. You can’t run a country by threatening to kill everyone who doesn’t toe your line.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><span>“Then how else am I supposed to do it?!” Rufus burst out. He spun away from Noctis, pacing over to the far end of the balcony. “The people have already begun to suspect my father’s empty promises are running out. Once they realize that Midgar and mako power are only a diminishing means to a delusional end, they’ll revolt. I </span><em>have</em> to make them fear me, or everything my father built will come crumbling down the moment it lands in my hands.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“Astrals help me,” Noctis muttered, then realized how much like Ignis he sounded and clapped his hands over his face. Dragging his fingers back through his hair, he made his way over to the seating area and dropped into one of the chairs, then buried his face in his hands again. He couldn’t believe he was about to do this, but he couldn’t just stand by while Rufus made every one of the hundred and thirteen past Kings and Queens of Lucis roll over in their tombs. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><span>“Look,” he said. “Let’s say you do it your way. You start by killing Lazard. What happens? At best,” he continued before Rufus could answer, “you manage to keep your involvement unproven, and everyone in SOLDIER and the whole company only </span><em>suspects</em> you of killing your half-brother. No one trusts you, and everyone goes behind your back to avoid catching your notice in case you decide to kill them next.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“You say that as though I couldn’t have Lazard killed without it being tied back to me,” Rufus cut in. He stalked over to loom above Noctis, still trying and failing to be intimidating. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“You couldn’t,” Noctis said. “At this point, if Lazard died in a freak accident that you had nothing to do with, everyone would still assume you did it. Everyone knows you hate him, and what the Turks are capable of.” </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“That’s not—”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Without lifting his head, Noctis held up a hand to shut Rufus up. “SOLDIER splinters into factions,” he continued relentlessly, “because if you believed they’d all fall into line behind you, you wouldn’t have tried to bribe me. At least one faction, a big one, is loyal to Lazard and actively tries to prove you killed him. Maybe they secede entirely. You’d have to further damage your standing with those who remain by sending them to hunt down their friends. If they refuse or fail, you lose even more credibility. If they succeed, you’re left with a fraction of your military arm. Your executive arm will be dead in the water because everyone’s too busy covering their own asses out of fear you’ll kill them. You’re left with a dysfunctional company that can’t fulfill its promises, and you’ll spend the rest of your life watching it die slowly and painfully.” </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Rufus scowled at him. “Fine. So that’s the worst-case scenario—”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><span>“No,” Noctis corrected. “That’s the </span><em>best</em>-case scenario. At <em>worst</em>, everyone does know it was you. You’re branded a fratricide. SOLDIER <em>doesn’t</em> splinter - they make Lazard into a martyr, and decide they don’t want to work for a man who kills his own brother. <em>All</em> of SOLDIER secedes, taking your Silver General and your Hero of Wutai with them. If that happens, you’ll probably lose most of your Public Safety division, too. They know if they stay, you’d send <em>them</em> to hunt down the SOLDIERs. Most of them are fans of SOLDIER and won’t want to participate, and those who aren’t still know that fighting a SOLDIER is a death sentence.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><span>Rufus tried again to interrupt, but Noctis shot him the glare he normally reserved for the worst-behaved Lucian councilors. To his surprise, Rufus actually rocked back slightly, so Noctis pressed on. “Now you’ve lost your entire military arm, and most of your public service arm.” Not that Public Safety was really a service arm, but it was the closest ShinRa had. “Public Safety is all that’s keeping the slums under ShinRa’s thumb. Without them, crime spirals out of control and the slums riot. Your executive arm rebels, ousting you in an effort to win back SOLDIER and therefore Public Safety, but it’s too little, too late. The city is out of control, and the SOLDIERs have learned what freedom feels like. Midgar tears itself apart from the slums up and the boardroom down, and you’re left with </span><em>nothing.</em>” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Rufus stared at him, his mouth hanging open. Noctis sat back in the chair, letting his hands rest on its arms as though it was the throne of Lucis, and waited. He knew he was right, but Rufus needed to think through it all, to follow the logic himself and realize it was true. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><span>Finally Rufus managed, “How can you </span><em>know</em> all of that?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“I looked,” Noctis said simply. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“You’re just a SOLDIER Second!” </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><span>“Just,” Noctis repeated, and tilted his head slightly, fixing Rufus with what he hoped was the same look King Regis used when his council was being idiots. He’d never liked being on a pedestal, never liked the idea that he was somehow better than anyone else just because of the family he happened to be born into. He needed to break Rufus of that notion </span><em>right now</em>. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Rufus scowled. “You’re not a director. You’re not anyone.” </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“If I wasn’t anyone, you wouldn’t have tried to recruit me,” Noctis pointed out. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“I tried to recruit you because I need SOLDIERs,” Rufus said, then snarked, “But clearly that was a mistake.” </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“So I’m a SOLDIER,” Noctis said. Pushing the logic, the way his tutors had so often done with him when he was a teenager learning how to run a country. “I’m also not anyone. But I can see exactly what will happen if you try to kill Lazard. Why?” </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“I’m sure you’ll tell me,” Rufus muttered. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>So Noctis didn’t. He just sat and waited, constructing the mental image of the throne room of Lucis around him, overlaying its curving marble elegance on top of the heavy wood and chrome of Rufus’s corporate office. He’d learned patience as a child; he doubted Rufus ever had. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>It still took less time than he’d expected for Rufus to crack. “Well? Tell me,” Rufus ordered. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><span>Now wasn’t the time to work on asking politely instead of demanding. Noct inclined his head and said, “A king who sits so far above his people that he cannot see them, also cannot rule them. Only by walking among them can he understand how to lead.” It was something Noct’s father had told him, when he’d made Noctis get a part-time job during high school. It was a bit of a risk to use the word </span><em>king</em> instead of swapping it like he’d done a month ago in Wutai, but he was playing to Rufus’s ego. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Rufus just scoffed. “I don’t need to be a SOLDIER to understand how to lead Midgar.” </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“That isn’t what I said,” Noctis answered, keeping his voice calm. Though, Astrals above, if he’d ever been this deliberately stupid at any of his childhood tutors, he owed them all an apology. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Rufus stood up abruptly and paced away from the sitting area. “This is a waste of time. Get out of here - I’ll deal with Lazard as I see fit.” </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Noctis didn’t move except to lace his fingers beneath his chin, watching Rufus from under his bangs. “You know exactly why that won’t work out.” </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><span>“Then what </span><em>should</em> I do?” Rufus demanded, whirling on him. “You claim to see all these terrible paths forward. Tell me a <em>good</em> one.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“Okay,” Noctis said, and settled back into his imagined throne again. “You’re so worried about him trying to claim your birthright, why not get ahead of it? Recognize him first.”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“...What.” </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“Acknowledge him publicly as your brother,” Noctis said. “No qualifiers - not a bastard, not your half brother, but as your brother. If—”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><span>“How the hell would that help anything?” Rufus interrupted. “That’s exactly what I’m trying to </span><em>avoid!</em>” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><span>“Hear me out,” Noctis said. “Cases like this, usually what the bastard sibling wants is just to be part of the family. They want to be acknowledged, treated as an equal. If the only way they can make that happen is to take over so they can force everyone to do what they want, then you have a coup waiting to happen. But if you acknowledge them first, then you’ve </span><em>given </em>them what they want. Depending on the law, you might not even need to deal with the issue of succession—” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><span>“ShinRa </span><em>makes</em> the law,” Rufus snapped. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Noctis fought, yet again, the urge to sigh. That was another discussion entirely, but at least for now he could use it to his advantage. “Then you can make a law if you need to. One that lets you recognize Lazard without giving him inheritance rights.” </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“Right,” Rufus scoffed. “Say I acknowledge Lazard. Then what do I do when my father’s other bastards start turning up, demanding to be recognized too?”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Noctis frowned. “How many kids does your father have?” </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“Three others that I know of, besides Lazard and me,” Rufus admitted. “An older sister and two younger brothers.” </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Interesting; that meant either Noctis’s half-formed suspicion about Cloud Strife was wrong, or Rufus didn’t know about all his father’s offspring. But it didn’t matter either way. “Then you recognize all of them,” he told Rufus. “Demonstrate your generosity, your family loyalty. You don’t have to make them all company directors if they aren’t already, but set them up with a way to get there. Make it clear you want to support them, and they’ll support you in return.”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“You’re quite confident that it’ll work,” Rufus said.</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Noctis shrugged one shoulder. “History’s a good teacher.” Variations on this scenario had played out more than a dozen times in the line of Lucis, starting with Celsus Lucis Caelum VIII who had killed his own bastard half-sister and nearly torn apart the fledgling kingdom of Lucis. It had been Iridia Lucis Caelum XIX who’d begun the tradition of recognizing her bastard siblings, granting her two younger half-brothers noble titles and houses in a way that neatly removed any questions of succession. The only Lucis Caelum after that who’d tried the murder route, Malitio Lucis Caelum LXXXVI, had also almost destroyed the kingdom. His half-brother killed him first, and the only reason Lucis didn’t fall was because Malitio’s equally illegitimate, but more politically savvy, half-sister took over as regent until his daughter came of age. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>But Noctis couldn’t tell Rufus any of that, not without a much longer explanation that he didn’t want to get into. Fortunately, this world apparently had enough small independent nations - at least until ShinRa’s rise - that Rufus didn’t press for details. All he said was, “What if it doesn’t work? If I offer Lazard recognition and he still attempts his coup? As you pointed out, much of SOLDIER follows him, not me.” </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“Then it’s on him in the public eye,” Noctis said. “You offered him an honest path, and he rejected it in favor of violence. You’d be the victim, not him.”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><span>“I don’t </span><em>want</em> to be a victim,” Rufus said peevishly. “It’ll make me look weak. If I’m seen as weak, who will have faith in me to run the company?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“Being the victim doesn’t mean being weak,” Noctis countered. “Violence isn’t the only way to demonstrate your strength.”  </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“Without violence, there can be no control,” Rufus said, in the tone of someone reciting a lesson, and this time Noctis didn’t manage to stop himself from pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation. Rufus scowled. “What?” </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><span>“Violence is </span><em>a</em> means to control,” Noctis said, “but you’re already seeing how shaky it is. Wutai still has resistance fighters. The slums have their own militias, and only haven’t risen up because they haven’t been pushed far enough yet. But they’re close. The moment things get worse for them, you’re going to have an uprising on your hands. Sending Public Safety or SOLDIERs will just escalate the problem, until you’re back to Midgar tearing itself apart.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Rufus didn’t answer right away. He paced back over to the massive window looking down on the city, and stood there, hands folded behind his back, watching the lights gleam far below. Noctis waited, yawning and resisting the temptation to curl up in the leather chair for a nap. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Finally Rufus said, “If I take you at your word, nearly all my options are bad ones which result in Midgar, and ShinRa, falling apart.” </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“So what will you do?” Noctis asked. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Rufus turned to look at him. The soft glow of the office’s mood lighting couldn’t quite hide the dark circles under his eyes, the exhaustion in the slump of his shoulders. “I don’t know,” he admitted. He suddenly looked young, and afraid, and Noctis wondered if he’d looked like that in the weeks leading up to his departure from Insomnia. He’d certainly felt like it: afraid to leave home, knowing there were forces in the world moving outside his control, the stability of his kingdom wobbling beneath his feet. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Which meant now wasn’t the time to press Rufus further. Noctis stood up, stretching absently. “Think on it,” he suggested. “You know what you’re dealing with. There’s a path forward, a good one - you just have to decide to commit to it.” </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“Right,” Rufus murmured. He glanced out the window, then back to Noct, almost shy. “We should discuss this further.”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Noctis could recognize an invitation, however awkward, when he heard one. He grinned at Rufus. “Tomorrow,” he suggested. “There’s a noodle joint in Sector Seven I’ve been meaning to try.” </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“Noon,” Rufus agreed. “I’ll have Tseng arrange a car.” </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“Great,” Noctis said. He tossed a wave at Rufus, deliberately casual, and headed for the stairs. “See you then.”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>“Goodnight,” Rufus said. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Noctis slipped out of the office and headed for the elevator down to the barracks. Getting involved in Midgar politics was a terrible idea - but then, given his position as a SOLDIER, he would be involved with whatever happened whether he liked it or not. If he could get ahead of the problem, steer Rufus to a path that wouldn’t end in a violent coup, then even if it didn’t bring him closer to his own goal of getting home, he would save a lot of lives here. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>And maybe he’d teach Rufus how to be a real king in the process. </span>
  </span>
</p>
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